X-Mid geometry for a trekking pole shelter

ABSTRACT

A lightweight shelter for hikers that uses two trekking poles for support. This shelter includes an outer canopy (or “fly”) that is rectangle shaped at the base, and a sleeping area which is uniquely positioned on a diagonal relative to the rectangular outer wall. This shelter also includes a ridgeline supported by two trekking poles which are positioned on the crossing diagonal to the sleeping area and inwards from the base of the outer wall such that this shelter can erect into a stable position without additional support beyond what is provided by the canopy.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/784,932, filed Dec. 26, 2018 by the same inventor.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

The inventor claims no sponsorship or support of any kind, from anyother party.

FIELD

The present application is in the field of portable shelters (e.g. tentsand tarps) such as those used by backpackers.

BACKGROUND

Lightweight hikers often use portable shelters which incorporate theirtrekking poles as the structure of that shelter for the purpose ofsaving weight. These trekking pole designs are typically lighter than atraditional tent because they avoid the weight of dedicated tent poleset. However, trekking pole shelters remain less popular than tents withtraditional tent poles due in large part to disadvantages commonlyassociated with trekking pole tents; most notably the complex pitchingprocess that most trekking pole designs require. Other disadvantagesalso common to trekking pole designs including limited headroom, poorstructural robustness, and interference in the doorways or floor area bythe positioning of the trekking pole(s).

Existing trekking pole based designs can be complex to pitch for manyreasons. Some of the most common reasons are (1) the base of the canopyhas a complex shape (e.g. many sides, or non-symmetrical, ornon-intuitive angles), (2) the shelter has many undefined dimensions(e.g. height, angles) where measuring or estimating is required, (3) thestructure is not stable while partially assembled so it requireson-going support from the user during pitching, and (4) the completedstructure is not independently robust and thus requires additionalsupport from guylines. As such, achieving an good pitch often requiresextensive trial and error, or substantial experience with that shelter.

Simpler trekking pole designs which avoid much of this pitchingcomplexity are less common, but some designs do exist which are basedaround a simpler rectangle shape which requires fewer estimates of stakepositions. Of these, the four sided pyramid design is the most commonwhere a single pole at or near the center provides the structure andthis central pole position further reduces other guesswork (e.g. thecanopy will limit the pole height so pre-measuring is not required).Despite greater simplicity, the popularity of this geometry is inhibitedby other fundamental downsides including limited headroom from usingonly one pole, and the central location of that pole typicallyinterferes in the doorway and/or sleeping area.

As such, users of trekking pole shelters have generally had to choosebetween difficult to pitch designs or simpler designs with limitedheadroom. There have been attempts to retain the simplicity of arectangle based design while alleviating the lack of headroom by usingtwo trekking poles inside a rectangle. However, prior designs using twotrekking poles inside of a rectangle have included other undesirabledownsides. These two poles are sometimes positioned at or near the edgesof the rectangle (e.g. A-frames or offset A frames) which adds headroombut with the downsides of (1) steep walls that are poor in high winds,(2) instability during the pitch as the peaks are not stable withoutadditional guylines, (3) hassle and weight from mandatory guylines tosupport the steep walls and (4) a need to pre-measure the pole lengths.Of the few trekking pole designs that use both a rectangle and two poleslocated substantially inward from the walls, all of them have positionedthose poles atop of the floor where they interfere within the sleepingarea of that shelter. Thus, there is a need for a trekking pole designwhich preserves the simplicity of the pyramid design while avoiding manyor all of the aforementioned downsides common to trekking pole shelters.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is an improved geometry for a rectangle based trekkingpole supported shelter which avoids nearly all of the common downsidesof existing trekking pole shelters. This invention uses a rectanglebased outer canopy and uniquely rotates the sleeping area onto adiagonal inside that rectangular canopy, unlike any prior art. Twotrekking poles support the canopy. These poles are positioned to form aridgeline on the opposite diagonal as the sleeping area and thuscrossing over the sleeping area for good headroom. In the overhead view,the diagonal floor and opposite diagonal ridgeline cross to form an “X”shape. The poles defining the ridgeline are located adjacent to thesleeping area and set substantially back from the edges of the rectanglebase, such that the shelter can form a stable structure without anyrequired supporting guylines. In essence, the invention is a rectanglebased tent where the occupant(s) sleep on one diagonal and the two polesform a ridgeline on the opposite diagonal (FIG. 1).

This unique geometry solves nearly all of the common downsides oftrekking pole tents because it offers good headroom, a simple to stakerectangle based canopy, and the pole locations inside the rectangularbase avoid the need to measure pole lengths, are stable throughout thepitch, require no mandatory guylines, and do not interfere in thedoorways nor upon the floor area. Overall, this invention is an uniquegeometry that combines nearly all of the advantages found in a widevariety of trekking pole designs while avoiding nearly all of the commondisadvantages. As such, it substantially improves the user experiencethat a trekking pole supported tent can offer. These features andadvantages will become apparent in the detailed description below andaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing the three key shelter features(rectangle base, diagonal sleeping area, two poles positioned inside therectangle to form a ridgeline on the opposite diagonal as the floor).

FIG. 2 is a side perspective (long side) of the shelter showingdoorways.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing how the design can be adapted to fitvarious number of occupants.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing that the floor can be expanded to fillone or both vestibules while the sleeping position remains diagonal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring FIGS. 1 and 2, this is a design for a lightweight backpackingshelter 1 that uses trekking poles 13 and a unique geometry to avoidnumerous problems common to this style of shelter. The invented shelter1 combines three key features, which are a rectangular base 2, asleeping area 3 positioned on a diagonal inside that rectangular base 2(i.e. not orthogonal to any side), and a ridgeline 6 formed in thecanopy 10 that is also positioned on a diagonal relative to therectangular base and crossing over the sleeping area 3. This ridgeline 6is supported by two trekking poles 13 which connect to the canopy 10 attwo peaks 5. These peaks 5 are located adjacent to the sleeping area 3and set back far enough inside the rectangular base 2 so that theshelter 1 can form a stable structure without requiring other forms ofsupport such as guylines (see FIG. 1).

The canopy 10 (or “fly” or “outer wall”) is commonly constructed fromwoven fabric but can be made from a variety of weather proof or weatherresistant materials. The canopy 10 is approximately rectangular at thebase 2 (i.e., approximately 90 degrees at all four corners) because arectangle is intuitive for users to stake 14 out accurately compared toother quadrilateral shapes and shapes with greater than four sides. Itwill be understood that the shape of the base 2 may vary slightly froman exact rectangle (e.g. the angles inside each corner may vary fromabout 85 to 95 degrees) for a variety of possible reasons such asstretch in the fabric, manufacturing variances, or irregular terrain,but the base 2 shape will be close enough to a rectangle that a user canstake out the shelter 1 based on that concept.

The dimensions of the rectangular base 2 will vary based on the intendedsize of the shelter, but will generally be long enough to accommodateadult occupants (e.g. the length of the rectangle will typically beninety to one hundred and ten inches in length). The width of therectangular base 2 will vary widely depending on the number of intendedoccupants, as a wider base 2 allows for a wider sleeping area 3 whichcan accommodate a greater number of occupants (see FIG. 3). A base 2width of fifty five to seventy five inches is typical for one occupantbecause it allows for a sleeping area 3 that a wide enough to easilyaccommodate one common size (twenty inch wide) sleeping pad 4. For twooccupants, a base 2 width of seventy to ninety inches is typical as thatallows for a sleeping area 3 that accommodates two common size sleepingpads 4.

The canopy 10 rises up to two peaks 5 which are supported by twotrekking poles 13. One trekking pole 13 is oriented vertically or nearvertically below each peak 5. A key design element is that the trekkingpoles 13 and corresponding peaks 5 are located substantially inside therectangular base 2, rather than being located along or near theperimeter of the shelter 1 because this position allows the peaks 5 tobe anchored into a stable position by support from the canopy 10 on allsides. More specifically, the canopy 10 joins each peak 5 to the threenearby corner stakes 14 and the other peak 5, and since the each peak 5is located substantially within the area bound by those connectedpoints, it gains sufficient anchoring from all sides. To achievesufficient anchoring, the peak 5 locations are set back at least teninches from the all sides of the rectangular base 2, with the setbackmore commonly being twenty to thirty inches from the closest two sidesof base 2 in exemplary form. This location balances the greaterstructural stability that comes with additional setback, with the needto keep the trekking poles 13 far enough apart to provide a reasonablywide sleeping area 3 crossing between the vertical trekking poles 5.When constructed in the manner described, the peaks 5 require noadditional support for typical use, but optional supplementary supportsuch as guylines may be provided to further support the shelter 1.

The two peaks 5 are also positioned in such a way to form a ridgeline 6in the canopy 10 which is located on a diagonal inside the rectangularbase 2 (i.e. not orthogonal to any side) as shown in FIG. 1. Theridgeline 6 crosses over the sleeping area 3 and is long enough so thatthe sleeping area 3 can be wide enough to accommodate the intendednumber of occupants. A key design element is that the sleeping area 3 isalso positioned on a diagonal inside the rectangular base 2 but crossingunder the ridgeline 6, such that the diagonal sleeping area 3 anddiagonal ridgeline 6 cross to form an X pattern inside the rectangularbase 2 in the overhead view (FIG. 1). The distance along the ridgeline 6between the two trekking poles 13 is typically forty to sixty inches(for one occupant) or fifty to seventy inches (for two occupants), asthat allows for a sleeping area that is twenty five to thirty fiveinches wide (for one occupant) or forty to fifty five inches wide (fortwo occupants).

The height of the canopy 10 is set by trekking poles 13 and thus isnormally limited to a height no greater than fifty five inches sincecommercially available trekking poles 13 are rarely able to extendtaller than this. Typical heights for the canopy peaks 5 are forty tofifty five inches. The trekking poles 13 can interface with the peaks 5in a variety of ways, including being oriented with the handles up andpushing directly on the canopy, or with the tips oriented upward andconnecting into a grommet inside the peaks 5. It is also possible to usetwo trekking poles 13 at each of one or both peaks 5. This allows thelower ends of those trekking poles 13 to be splayed apart which may bemore convenient than one vertical trekking pole 13 in some use cases.Further, while trekking poles 13 are commonly used as support in thisstyle of shelter 1, other types of support may be used such as foldingpoles, or suspending the peaks 5 via external cords instead of internalsupport.

A novel element of this invention is that the sleeping area 3 is locatedsuch that the occupants lie on a diagonal inside the rectangular base 2of the shelter 1, as indicated by the location of the sleeping pad(s) 4(see FIG. 3). In exemplary form, the sleeping area 3 is situated on adiagonal inside the rectangular base 2 such that the longer sides of thesleeping area 3 are typically rotated fifteen to twenty five degreesrelative to the longer sides of the rectangular base 2, and with thesleeping pads 4 typically used by occupants on this same angle. Thisdegree of rotation allows for all of the sleeping area 3 to protected bythe canopy 10 from vertical rainfall even when the doorways are open. Inother embodiments, the sleeping area 3 may be rotated further (up toforty five degrees) depending on other design considerations. Theposition of the sleeping pads 4 will always cross between the two polesand below the ridgeline 6, which leaves vestibules 9 (non-sleepingareas) on the outward side of both poles 13. These vestibules 9 can beuseful for gear storage, cooking and other uses (see FIG. 1).

The sleeping area 3 provided by the canopy 10 can be used without afloor (i.e. only the occupant(s) and sleeping pad(s) 4), or even withonly the occupant and no sleeping pad 4, but most commonly the sleepingarea 3 will be equipped with some type of a floor to fill the space.Commonly the floor will have a parallelogram shape (see FIGS. 1 and 3)to increase the length of the sleeping area 3, but other floor shapesare possible such as a rectangle. In some embodiments, the shelter mayhave an extended floor 15 which expands beyond the sleeping area 3 tofill one or both of the vestibules 9 (see FIG. 4). Even with this, thekey design element of a diagonal sleeping area 3 crossing below theridgeline 6 is still present.

The floor may be a separate piece of material (e.g. a groundsheet) toprovide protection from the ground, but more commonly the tent willinclude a waterproof floor that connects to the canopy 10 in a permanentor removable fashion. A common design is to equip the shelter 1 with aseparate inner tent 11, which includes a floor sewn to walls and a roofto form a fully contained inner tent 11, which then connects inside theweatherproof canopy 10 in a fashion that is typically removable (e.g.connects via buckles or clips). Alternatively, an incomplete inner tent11 (e.g. no roof panels and four or fewer side walls) may be permanentlysewn inside the canopy 10 which is often referred to as a “hybrid” or“singlewall” design. Regardless of how the floor connects and whatsupplementary internal walls are provided, the key attribute of thediagonal sleeping area 3 inside the rectangle base 2 and crossing belowthe ridgeline 6 remains.

The canopy 10 will typically have two doorways 7 to enable access. Inexemplary form, one doorway 7 is located on each of the longer two sidesof the canopy (see FIG. 2). This location allows for large doorways 7that are not blocked by the trekking poles 13. However, it is alsopossible to equip the canopy 10 with only one doorway 7 and/or providethose doorway(s) 7 on the shorter end walls of the shelter 1. Thedoorways 7 are commonly opened via canopy zippers 8 but can also beopened otherwise (such as using clips or buckles). In instances wherethe shelter has an inner tent 11 wall behind the canopy doorway(s) 7,there will also be a doorway into the inner tent 11 located behind thecanopy door 7 which is also typically operated by a zipper 12.

It is understood that the dimensions, geometry and features describedhere are variable and should be given reasonable interpretation. Thosefamiliar with shelter design will find it apparent that the previousdescribed embodiments are exemplary versions only, and other variationsmay exist which fall within the scope of this invention. The presentlypreferred embodiments are examples of how to make and use the invention,and are presented to enable rather than limit the invention. The scopeof the invention supported by the present disclosure should be construedwithin the scope of what it teaches to those skilled in the art. Thisscope is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A shelter for backpackers or other outdoor userswhere the canopy of the shelter is substantially rectangle shaped at thebottom (base), and the floor is located substantially diagonally insidethat rectangular base such that two vestibules are formed in twoopposite corners within the rectangular base and generally orthogonal tothe diagonal axis of the floor, and where two vertical poles arepositioned in those opposite corner vestibules (one in each) andsubstantially inside the rectangular base to support peaks that define aridgeline which is diagonal inside the rectangular base and crossingover the floor, and with those peaks located substantially inside therectangular base of the canopy so that the shelter can be erected into astable position without requiring additional support beyond what isprovided by canopy of the tent.
 2. A shelter for backpackers or otheroutdoor users where the canopy of the shelter is substantially rectangleshaped at the bottom (base) and the floor is parallelogram shaped andpositioned substantially diagonally inside the rectangular base suchthat the two longest sides of the parallelogram are not parallel to anyside of the rectangular base, such that two vestibules are formed in twoopposite corners within the rectangular base and generally orthogonal tothe diagonal axis of the floor, and where two vertical poles arepositioned in those opposite vestibule corners (one in each) andsubstantially inside the rectangular base to support peaks that define aridgeline which is diagonal inside the rectangular base and crossingover the floor, and with those peaks located substantially inside therectangular base of the canopy so that the shelter can be erected into astable position without requiring additional support beyond what isprovided by canopy of the tent.